The Process
by Eolo
Summary: Oneshot. Gamebased. The Angel Troupe. A team of six beautiful and talented pilots. An immortal legend.


_Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Galaxy Angel are the creation of and property of Kanan and are used here without permission. This story may be freely distributed, but it should not be altered or used for profit._

**The Process**

By Megami no Senshi Yami

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_Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death where is thy sting, O Grave where is thy victory?_

_I Corinthians__ 15:54 – 56_

Common belief states when you're about to cross the line between this world and the other the first thing you see is your entire life passing before your eyes. There are also people who claim to have come back from the clutches of Death itself and the first thing they saw was a pure white light.

The man massaged his forehead in exhaustion and wondered how much of her seventeen years of life she could have seen before the end. On the other hand, he didn't believe in that "white light" stuff yet, ironically enough, this room was located inside the White Moon.

He reached his hand towards the large, pitch black bag—which contrasted so fiercely with the holiness of this place and even the pure white room—and opened it a little, just enough to see her face. "This is it" he informed gravely. "The Unit 06"

The other man leaned forward slightly and scanned it carefully. A veil of dried blood went from the forehead to the chin yet did little to conceal the multiple burn scars present at the sides. "Indeed she is" he noted before taking a depth breath and exhaling a disappointed sigh. "How could _this_ happen, Doctor?" he asked, still having a hard time to believe despite the evidence being in front of him. "We put so much effort on her…she was supposed to be perfect"

The Doctor in question had both arms crossed over his chest with his gaze fixated on her lifeless body and a thoughtful expression. He reached once again for the bag to close it before speaking again. "According to the report received from the Elsior, General, her ship was hijacked and the Commander had no choice but to shoot it down in order to prevent her from falling in the enemy's hands"

The General eyes narrowed dangerously, already foreseeing a severe punishment. "And _who_ is this Commander?" he asked sternly. "_Takuto Mayers_" automatically replied the Doctor, already too familiarized with the youngster despite never having met him in person. "He was appointed by Luft Weizen as his successor and, so far, has been doing a great job—this is his first time, in fact…"

His gaze lowered, the General whispered fiercely. "_There shouldn't be a first time_"

The Doctor raised a surprised eyebrow and noted coolly. "There is _always_ a first time, General" he closed his eyes and raised his head like if he was making mental calculations. "So far the Unit 05 is the one who has undergone the process the most—six times—followed by Unit 01—four times—Unit 02—three times--and Unit 03 and 04—two times each. We shouldn't lose our hope in the Unit 06; it's still too early after all"

"I know that Doctor!" the sudden growl made the Doctor jump into his toes. "This is not about their performance but the goddamn process itself!" he rested his arms on the table that held the body bag and grinned his teeth in a way that gave the impression he was about to break into tears. "Even when things have got substantially better…" his voice softened considerably. "Sooner or later we end up repeating it"

The Doctor sighed and gazed aimlessly towards the white ceiling. "It can't be helped" he stated with the cold logic of a professional. "We can't give us the luxury of not using the Angel Frames and such, if something happens to the pilots, the process is much more convenient and quicker than finding and training a candidate"

The General gave an empty laugh. "How do you do it, Doctor? How can you get possibly used to _this_?" he inquired with a hint of despair in his voice. And for the first time, the Doctor gave a sorrowful smile and shrugged. "I can't" he replied meekly. "Sometimes I cry while others I try to drown it with alcohol, but in the end the only thing that keeps me up is _hope_"

"Hope?" asked the General blinking twice.

The Doctor nodded. "You see, Sir, a legend is something that can't die. These girls are a legend that gives people hope for the future and _we_ are the ones in charge of ensuing the immortality of said legend"

"I see…" the General took out a white handkerchief and wiped out the sweat from his forehead as well as something from his eyes. Then, after a deep breath, he demanded. "Your report, Doctor"

Regaining his business like demeanor, the Doctor proceeded. "The replacement for the Unit 06 is already on the hospital, she only needs to rest a bit. Our personal aboard the Elsior informed that everything is under control and no information has leaked"

"The Commander will soon pay a visit to her along with the other Units. Needless to say, he doesn't know anything about this"

The General nodded in satisfaction. "And he will never should"

"Oh, and also Mr. Blancmanche called in order to check the status of the situation" informed the Doctor at which the General rolled his eyes. "That man can be such an annoyance sometimes"

The Doctor snickered. "Remember, Sir, that he is part of this project as well as the _first _person who provided a blood sample for the process"

The General sighed painfully. "I know"

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**END**


End file.
